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Cannes 2013: Surprises & Notable Absence ...

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'We Are What We Are' Director Jim Mickle Lines Up New Project As Original Helmer Gives Thumbs Up To Remake

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 20, 2013 3:00 PM
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News

Remakes of foreign horror films are almost always a bad idea, but there are enough gems -- most recently Matt Reeves' excellent, arguably superior to the original "Let Me In" -- to mean that we'll always be optimistic when one comes down the pipe. And the latest to renew our faith, if word from Sundance and Cannes is correct, is Jim Mickle's "We Are What We Are," We were big fans of the original film a few years back, and the notices have been strong for the Americanized remake, which has been winning over several fans since premiering in Park City back in January. And the latest supporter of the film? Mexican helmer Jorge Michel Grau, who directed the original film.

By Jason McDonald
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May 17, 2013 2:40 PM
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News

Earlier this week we shared a few clips from Jim Mickel’s well-regarded horror remake “We Are What We Are,” which is currently having a showing at this year’s Cannes. Today brings another clip to us by way of Deadline and some surprising news about the future of this festival favorite.

By Jason McDonald
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May 13, 2013 12:49 PM
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News

In spite of carrying the stigma of being an American remake of a foreign film, director Jim Mickle’s "We Are What We Are" received some positive buzz when it debuted at Sundance earlier this year. Since then, we haven’t seen very much of the film, which has been rather disappointing. However, now that it’s about to make its European debut at Cannes Directors' Fortnight, we finally have two new clips to share.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 23, 2013 8:58 AM
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News

Well, here's one name we didn't expect to figure so prominently at Cannes this year -- Alejandro Jodorowksy. The 84-year-old director will not only have his first feature in over twenty years unveiled, but he will also be the subject of a documentary that is sure to get cinephiles very, very excited.

By Joe Cunningham
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May 24, 2012 10:26 AM
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25 Comments

News

Mia Wasikowska has signed on to star in John Curran’s (“The Painted Veil”) new indie “Tracks.” The film will tell the true story of a young woman named Robyn Davidson who traveled 1678 miles through the Australian desert in 1987. It’s an Australian production and will be based on Davidson’s memoirs of the same name, and has already secured distribution down under and in the U.K. (through Momentum Pictures)

By Simon Dang
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May 2, 2012 8:40 AM
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News

Other than when the supernatural is involved, cannibalism isn't a subject regularly explored on screen but it was the basis for the story behind Mexican director Jorge Michel Grau's acclaimed 2010 Cannes entry "Somo Lo Que Hay" (translated as "We Are What We Are"). The film has been in line for an American remake by Jim Mickle (the vampiric "Stake Land") since February but looks to be coming together quickly now that sought-after actress Riley Keough ("Magic Mike," "Jack & Diane") has joined the project, headlining a newly announced cast.

By Oliver Lyttelton
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February 9, 2012 1:17 PM
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2 Comments

News

You may not have seen it (too few did), but Mexican cannibal tale "We Are What We Are" is one of our favorite horror flicks of the last few years. Following a family of flesh-eaters struggling to cope after their patriarch disappears, it was a darkly comic, gruesome tale with more socio-political commentary than most of the genre, and suggested that helmer Jorge Michel Grau was a serious talent to watch.

By Kimber Myers
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February 18, 2011 1:23 AM
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The New York Film Festival generally isn't known for featuring horror films, but they made an exception in 2010 with Jorge Michel Grau's "We Are What We Are." Though the film was billed as "the Mexican cannibal movie," first-time feature director Grau goes far beyond genre conventions to craft a story that paints a haunting -- and quite unflattering -- picture of his home country. When the patriarch of a cannibalistic family dies, his son is forced to take up his father's murderous mantel, revealing fractures in both family dynamics and in the Mexican social structure. During the festival, we sat down with Grau to discuss his film, which we raved about back in October. "We Are What We Are" opens in select theaters tomorrow and is available On Demand on February 23.